The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) Council announced at its June 22 meeting it will not be seeking an appeal for the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruling to reinstall Ashley Courchene in his role as vice-president (student services).
“I am glad the judge saw how unjust the constitutional board’s decision was,” Courchene said.
“I am enjoying the job so far and am excited to serve the Carleton students. Everyone has been professional so far.”
CUSA president Fahd Alhattab said the whole team welcomes Courchene. He promised the CUSA executives would be willing to work with whoever successfully gained the position.
“While opposing slates may have different ideals, the scope of what we hope to accomplish is similar. We all want a better Carleton community,” Alhattab said.
Courchene successfully defended his election to vice-president (student services) office after initially being disqualified when a campaign volunteer from the Change CUSA slate committed several electoral violations.
While CUSA had the option to apply for a further appeal against the court ruling, the executive council made it clear during the meeting it would not be doing so. When arts and social sciences councillor Ruth Lau-MacDonald put forward a motion that would necessitate a two-thirds majority vote on council to pursue an appeal, Alhattab said both parties had already settled.
Alhattab also drew council’s attention to the wording of the final court decision.
According to CUSA, two separate entities make up the Students’ Association’s decision-making body. These are CUSA (the association) and CUSA Inc. (the corporation), the former being the elected body that includes the executive team, councillors and every member of the undergraduate student population. The latter is referred to as the business entity of CUSA, governed by a three-member Board of Trustees, responsible for the campus businesses and the health and dental plan provided to students.
However, in the court decision, presiding judge Justice Timothy Ray said CUSA and CUSA Inc. were one and the same.
“They have the same objects, the same activities and the same students,” Ray said in the ruling. “There is nothing to distinguish CUSA students from CUSA Inc. employees.”
Citing the need to protect the business aspect of CUSA from any political decisions, Alhattab recommended the Constitution be amended over the course of the next year to clearly define the roles of these entities.
“We could see CUSA elections being decided in court, which is damaging and far too expensive to happen per annum,” he said.
In a previous interview with The Charlatan, Alhattab confirmed the cost of CUSA’s most recent court case against Courchene was an estimated $40,000.
With his position secured, Courchene said he is looking forward to several months of preparation for the fall semester. During the meeting, Courchene announced he will be working towards a better training program for student centre employees, introducing two new scholarships and completing the hiring process for CUSA service centres.
Courchene added he expects his replacement for his former post at the Aboriginal Service Centre will be found within the next few weeks.
